Tape control for duplicating machines



May 2, 1961 P. KOHL 2,982,143

TAPE CONTROL FOR DUPLICATING MACHINES Filed June 4, 1958 8 Sheets-Sheet 1 E, Q? b 1/ XWVWKX X XX X X X WXNWXWVKXX X XXWX Attorneys May 2, 1961 P. KOHL TAPE CONTROL FOR DUPLICATING MACHINES Filed June 4, 1958 8 Sheets-Sheet 2 .l'm/emon' u I KO By: 5,002,? git: whey: g

May 2, 1961 P. KOHL TAPE CONTROL FOR DUPLICATING MACHINES Filed June 4, 1958 8 Sheets-Sheet 3 m bk Inventor.

Peuu I K0 h WW BJ- 8 flttorncy May 2, 1961 P. KOHL 2,982,143

TAPE CONTROL FOR DUPLICATING MACHINES Filed June 4, 1958 l 8 Sheets-Sheet 4 2767 H I0 I L 579 N May 2, 1961 P. KOHL 2,982,143 TAPE CONTROL FOR DUPLICATING MACHINES Filed June 4, 1958 8 Sheets-Sheet 5 6 M 0 0 0 [In H 9 D [:1 m O Y n u cdll O Dnu DD O O DDDDD DD 0 O UDDDIJ Dunn an O O Dunno I] DDDUDD [J n 0 O u O u 8 Da 0 DUB DD H 0 cl UDUDDDDDD [I O 0 DD DOC! DUI] C] O DDEIDDDDD lDH I] 0 Din DDDDD O 5 0 Dual] fluuuuunl uuu O O DD uunu 8 v mung: 8 HDUDD H 0 Da n O O [I- o I W Inventor: PM/ Kohl May 2, 1961 P. KOHL TAPE CONTROL FOR DUPLICATING MACHINES Filed June 4, 1958 8 Sheets-Sheet 6 Inventor? Pa 0 A64 '95- 6 1; J

Attorney P. KOHL TAPE CONTROL FOR DUPLICATING MACHINES Filed June 4, 1958 May 2, 1961 8 Sheets-Sheet 7 II II LI II I I I I I I I I II I I I I I I IF I i I I I II L May 2, 1961 P. KOHL TAPE CONTROL FOR DUPLICATING MACHINES Filed June 4, 1958 8 Sheets-Sheet 8 fltionneys United States Patent TAPE CONTROL FOR DUPLICATING MACHINES Paul Kohl, Frankfurt am Main, Germany, assignor, by

mesne assignments, to Nassovia Werkzeugmaschinenfabrik G.rn.b.H., Langen, Hessen, Germany Filed June 4, 1958, Ser. No. 739,898 7 Claims priority, application Germany June 6, 1957 Claims. c1. 74-365) The present invention relates to a remote control apparatus for machine tools, and more particularly to a tape-controlled apparatus for operating duplicating machines, and especially duplicating milling machines and for engaging or disengaging the feed spindles of the individual slides of such machines or for reversing the direction of rotation thereof. The known designs of control apparatus of this type have the disadvantage of requiring the acceleration of very large masses, for example, of very large electromagnetic clutches, in order to adjust the heavy slides of machine tools. However, in, accelerating and stopping the movement of such large masses his very difficult and sometimes even impossible to attain an accurate control of the position of the slides because of the difiiculty of starting and stopping the spindle nuts on the feed spindles. Consequently, the duplicating operations are often very inaccurate. Furthermore, in the known tape controls, with the exception of sound and photo-electric tape controls, the electrical control operation also results in an excessive wear upon theicontacts because of the high tension and amperage which is usually required in order to insure a proper contact-making and thus a proper control operation, even though the respective contacts are soiled. i It is an object of the present invention to. provide a tape-controlled apparatus of the above-mentioned kind which, however, does not possess the" disadvantages of theprior apparatus. V V t I 1 -A further object of the present invention is to avoid the usual direct control of the driving" means of the heavy work slides of machine tools, and to provide a control of these means by the use of relatively smallcontrol elements which, inturn, may be easily-and accurately operated by means of small electric controlunits,f-clutches, reversing gears or motors, hydraulically actuated pistons, or the liker} f Theseobjects of the invention may be attained by proyidingan apparatus which comprises a tape-controlled switch by, means of. which" current impulses, which are controlledbyjprojections,fapertures or'tlie'llike on.or. in the tape-may'be transmitted throughla contact'ring to. whichthe switch .is connected, and'through a collec'tor in' the form of a ring; segment whichis rotatably mounted within the contact ring, to a'controlunit. j This; control unit 'is theniadapted to controlg the operation of a revers ible driye1unit'which, in turn,...isiadapted toadjusti an ins-machinei 3; 1

2,982,143 lfatented May 2, 1961 ice The operation of the apparatus according to the invention is substantially as follows:

When a contact is made by the tape switch, a current impulse is transmitted from the switch through the contact ring and the collector in the form of a ring segment to the control unit which is designed in the form of an electronic apparatus which is provided with two vacuum tubes or the like. One of these tubes controls the reversible drive, preferably an electromagnetic reversing gear, and a shaft or spindle which is driven thereby, as well as the collector in the form of a ring segment which is mounted on this shaft so as to rotate, for example, in a clockwise direction. The other vacuum tube is adapted to reverse the movement of the reversing gear and the shaft with the collector thereon so as to rotate counterclockwise when the contact is broken in the tape switch or between the contact ring and the collector. The actuating element which is adjustable by the mentioned shaft or spindle in the longitudinal direction thereof and toward both sides will thus transmit certain control movements to the mechanism, which controls the operationfof the respective slide of the duplicating machine so as to eflectthe required movement of the slide. The

more contact points will be provided on the control tape and accordingly also in the tape switch and on the contact ring, themore sensitive will be the control which will be transmitted through the actuating element, and the more gradual will be the stepwise adjustments of the continuous;

The apparatus according to the invention is also adapted to control the operation of several machines and/ or to control the movement of several slides on each slide, so that the entire adjustment will be substantially machine which are arranged, for example, according to i actuating elem'ent of ,a'mechanism which"controls the? the space-coordinate system or which are coordinated with. each other in any other suitable manner. The

individual machines or slides thereof may also be controlled to operate in the same manner or in the opposite manner to each other, or to carry out their movements I The by a single tape and tape'switch and a single electronic 7 control unit." The different preset courses to be followed may also be entered on a single tape side-by-side of each otherras seen in thedirection of travelof the tape.

controlling the operation of one or more duplicating.-

machines so as'to follow the movements ofa master is'hrotat'ed in accordance with the movementof the respective slideof thismachine and which, in turn, rotates the. collector which is connectedtoa source of electric :cu'rrentmThecurrent impulse is then transmitted from' the collector through-thec ontact ring to the' con't'act ring of the-Jcfollow up machine "or machines for. carrying out the control operation by means of'the'app'aratus iacco'rding to: the *inventionmFurther objects; features, and advan-1." :tages. of the present inventionKwill become ,apparentffrom' the following detailed description thereof, particularly when read with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which- Figure 1 shows a simplified illustration of a duplicating milling machine together with a tape-controlled apparatus according to the invention, as seen in the side view;

Figure 2 shows, partly in cross section and on a larger scale, some of the details of the tape-controlled apparatus according to the invention as shown in Figure 1;

Figure 3 shows an end view, as well as a side view in a longitudinal section, of a tape switch according to the invention;

Figure 4 shows a cross section of a contact ring with a collector in the form of a ring segment, taken along inc IV-IV of Figure 2;

Figure 5 shows a plan view of a workpiece in which a-semicircular recess has been milled out;

Figure 6 shows a plan view of a control tape;

Figure 7 shows an assembly of several machines which are controlled by one tape;

Figure 8 shows the control of several follow-up machines by means of an apparatus according to the invention and a master machine scanning a pattern; While Figure 9 shows an apparatus according to the invention as applied to the master machine as illustrated in Figure 8. t

The present invention will now be described with reference to a profile-duplicating milling machine, the longitudinal slide of which is movable from the 'front toward the rear, as seen within the plane of Figure 1, while the cross slide 2 is movable from the left toward the right, and the tool slide 3 is movable in both vertical directions. Each slide is for this purpose provided with a separate drive unit of a type known as such, for example a hydraulic drive 4, as illustrated diagrammatically in Figure 2, which is automatically controlled by an apparatus according to the invention. For the sake of simplicity, this apparatus is only illustrated in connection with the cross slide 2. The control means which are to be applied in connection withslides. 1 and 3 correspond both insofar as their construction and function are concerned to the control means as illustrated, so that a separate description thereof will be superfluous.

The control mechanism according to the invention consists primarily of a so-called tape switch 5, as shown in Figures 1 and 3, which, when a tape 6 which is suitably prepared as subsequently described passes therethrough,

is adapted to openand closev electrical'contacts, each of which is electrically connected through a conductor 25 to a contact on a contact ring 8, as shown particularly.

in Figure 4. A segment switch composed of contact segment or current collector 10, which is rotatable within contact ring 8, and a slip ring 11 are both mounted; on I and mechanically driven by the shaft of a: threaded spindle 9 and, form an electric connection through a a current collector or carbon brush 12 and a. conductor 13 to a control unit switch 14 which controls the operation of a reversible drive unit 15 for driving spindle 9. Depending upon the action upon drive unit 15, spindle 9 will be rotated either toward the right or the left, whereby an actuating member 16 which threadedly engages with spindle 9 will be shiftedlongitudinally along spindle 9 and thereby actuate a control arm 17 of a follow-up control unit 18 which controls the hydraulic drive 4 of slide 2. a

Figure 6 illustrates on an enlarged'scale a section of atape 6 for milling a semicircular contour 19 as shown in Figure 5 out of a workpiece 20. Since such an operation requires the movement of two slides, ie the longitudinal slidel and the cross slide 2, tape.6. maybe regarded as being divided in the'longitudinal'direction into two sections a and b, as indicated; by the dot-and-dash line inFigure 6. By means 'of separate control units; one

section servesfor. controlling one slide and the other section the other slide. If it is also necessary to control the movements of the third slide, tape 6 has to have a similar third section. Tape 6 is provided with contactmaking points 21 which produce the contour of the recess to be milled out in accordance with the direction of movement of the tape. The contact-making points 21 which may be in the form of recesses, perforations or projections are adapted to raise or lower. one of the contact fingers 23 in tape switch 5, which is tantamount to an opening or closing of the respective contact 26, as shown in Figure 3. The more contact points are provided on tape 6 and the more closely they are spaced from each other, the more gradual will be the steplike adjustment of the slides.

Tape 6 is driven by a motor 22 through tape switch 5 which is adapted to scan the tape and is connected by a conductor 7 to a source of current. As shown in Figure 3, tape switch 5 is provided with a plurality of contact fingers 23 which are pivotably mounted at 24 and correspond in number to the number of contact points 21 providedv on tape 6. Each contact finger is connected by a conductor 25 to a corresponding contact 27 on a contact ring 8, as shown in Figure 4.

Contact ring 8 is mounted, for example, on a stationary base 28 on each of the slides of the machine. At the inside of contact ring 8, a disk 29 is mounted on spindle 9 so as to rotate therewith. Disk 29 carries, insulated therefrom, the collector 10 which is connected by a conductor 30 to slip ring 11. This slip ring 11 is likewise mounted on, but insulated from shaft 9 which is rotatably mounted. in suitable hearings on base 28.

-The control unit switch 14, as shown particularly in Figures 1 and 2,, which is connected to slip ring 11 through the carbon brush 12 and conductor 13, may, for example, operate electronically by means of a pair of vacuum tubes 31 and 32. This electronic unit controls the reversible drive unit 15 of spindle 9 which may consist of a small electromagnetic reversing gear or a small reversible motor or electromagnetic reversing valves for a suitable hydraulic reversing mechanism. Preferably, however, the reversible drive unit 15 consists of an electromagnetic reversing gear which, according to Figure 2, consists of a pair of bevel gears 35 and 36 which are loosely rotating on the shaft of spindle 9 and are driven by an electric motor 33 through a bevel gear 34. Each bevel gear 35 and 36 contains a solenoid 37 or 38, respectively. Between bevel gears 35 and 36 a clutch disk 39 is nonrotatably, but slidably mounted on the shaft of spindle 9. Depending upon which solenoid is energized by theelectronic control unit switch 14 through conductors-40 and 41, clutch disk 39 will be attracted toward onebevel gear: orthe other and thereby transmit either the rotation of gear 35 or of gear 36 to spindle 9 so that the latter will be driven either in a clockwise orcounter-clockwise direction. I

The reversing gear 15 is operated by the electronic control unit switch 14 according to the so-called on-otf control method. Thus, for example, if a current impulse is transmitted, from tapeswitch 5 through a contact 27 on contact ring 8, collector 10, slip ring 11, brush 12, and conductor 13 to vacuum tube 31, this tube will respond and transmit an energizing current to solenoid 38,

whereby spindle 9 may, for example, be driven in a the longitudinal"directionofspindle 9. 1 Member 16 has I an extension'or pin 44 thereon which is adapted to slide- If, however, contact 27 of contact alonga guide w'ay43and prevents member 16 from rotating. Member16 is adapted to engage upon'a control arm 17 which," in turn, acts ;upon thecontrol unit 18 for the hydraulic drive 4, of the respective slide of the machine. Control unit 18 consists of a control piston 45 which is slidable within a cylinder 46 which is mounted on slide 2 oron the main": cylinder 52. IA hydraulic pressure medium, for example, oil, is supplied from a intermediate control arm'17; as'shown in Figure 2, the

actuating member 16' may also. engage directly upon control pistonf45. The lattermay be further acted upon by a suitable springelement, for example, a compression spring 55, .which. tends to presscontrol piston 45 toward the left. 'Theextent of the movement of piston 45 may be adjusted by a setscrew 56.

For explainingthe operation of contact ring 8"and the member 16 is again practically brought toe; stop because of the quick change of the direction of rotation; of spindle 9 during the oscillation between contact 27a and collector 10, so that a hydraulic equilibrium will be attained in control unit 18 because of the return of control piston 45 I to its neutral position.

i Collector 10 preferably has an extent of about 180 so as to insure a proper follow-up control regardless of whether the distances between the contact points on the tape switch are small or large.

- From the illustration of a tape as shown in Figure 6 it may be seen that contact points 21 are arranged so as partly to overlap each other in the direction of travel of'the tape. Such overlapping of adjacent contactpoints collector 10, it may be assumed withreference to Figure 7 4 that a'contact finger 23 of tape switch 5, as shown in Fi'gu're'it, engages .withan.actuatingpoint 21 on tape 6. Contact ,26 wil1. then ..be..closed so thatthe current will flow from conductor .7 through contact 26and conductor 2510 contact '27..of..contact. ring 8. Since contact 27, a'sishown in Figure.4, .does. not engage with collector 10,

nocurrent will flowtotheelectronic control unit switch I4 so that'the latter, as, already described, will energize the 'reversing,'gear,,15 ,sofias to; start alcounter-"clockwise rotation of spindle 9 and collector 10, as indicated by the arrow in Figure 4. This will movecollector 10 into engagement with contact 27 so thatthe current coming from tape switch 5 will flow directly to control'unit 14 which thereupon reverses the position of the reversing gear 15 and thus starts a clockwise rotation of spindle position, as indicated 'in Figure 2.

Piston 56 of the hydraulic drive 4 will then not be acted upon on either side so that slide 2 willbe standing still.

If by the continued travel of tape 6 another contact finger 23 of tape switch 5 should supply current, for example, to contact 27a-of contact ring 8, in which case the previously mentioned contact finger 23' will be dead,

spindle 9 will be immediately turned toward the right since contact 27a and collector 10 are in engagement with each other, and this right-hand movement of spindle 9 will continue until the continuous oscillation again occurs, but at this time, between contact 27a and collector 10. By the right-hand rotationof spindle 9, actuating member 16 will be shifted towardthe right and will thereby also shift control piston 45 toward the rightagainst the action of spring 55, so that the right-side branch of conduit 47 will be openedr The pressure medium will then' flow through conduit 50 into cylinder chamber 51 and. thereby shift cross slide 2 toward theright since the latter is rigidly connected 'to main cylinder 52 and piston53 is mounted' in a stationary "position;

Consequently, tool 57 will press'against' and mill new material out of workpiece 20.- Cross slide 2 will then continue to be shifted toward the right until actuating insures that the electricalstep on contact ring 8 will be properly carried out. The on-oif course of the electronic control as above described can never bedisrupted because during the travel of the tape a new contact will be made in tape switch 5 with the contact point 21 before the contact with the previous contact point has become disengaged. By providing contact points 21 on tape 6 in a suitable arrangement, it will be possible to control the movements of the diiferent slides in such a manner that either only one or the other of the threeslides will be actuated at the same time or that two or all three slides will be actuated at the same time. Thus, any

desired: shape or contour may be duplicated from thetape 'and' 'cut out of the workpiece completely automatically. V I While the control mechanism according-to the invention has so far been described for the operation of only one machine tool, it may also be applied to a larger.

numberof machines, all of which carry outithe same duplicating operation and which mayeven be located at considerable. distances from 'each other. rangement is illustrated inFig'ure 7 which does not require any special explanation since the function of each machine will be the same as previously described.

If in the individual machines thev spindles 9 of the different slides are once provided with right-hand threads and in another machine with left-hand threads, or if they are provided with an electric reversing switch, for example, in tape switch 5, it will be possible by means of the same tape to produce in the difierent workpieces either an image or a mirror image of the master design laid out on the tape. If spindles 9 are provided with threads of a different pitch, it is also possible either to enlarge or reduce the dimensions to be duplicated from the master design on the tape.

Figures 8 and 9 illustrate diagrammatically how it is possible by a slight modification also to apply the tape control according to the invention to conventional duplicating machines, for example, duplicating milling machines, which duplicate from a pattern. Itis thus possible to duplicate a single pattern simultaneously on several machines. In view of the remote-control system according to the invention, it is also immaterial where the dilferent machines are located with respect to each other. Each slide 1, 2, and 3 of a standard duplicating milling machine 58 which serves as a master machine J and scans a pattern'59 is provided-with a driven element, for example, a gear wheel 60, which follows the movement of the respective slide, for example, by engaging with a rack 61 on the slide or in any otherfsuitable manner. the rotary movements of gear'wheel 60 are then trans mitted to the shaft of a spindle 9', for example, by means of an intermediate gearing 62 which may consist of agear 63, a shaft 64, and gears 65 and 66. Just like spindle 9, as described with relation to Figures 1, 2, and

,4, this spindle 9' carries a slip ring 11 and a disk 29' adjacent contacts 27' on a contact ring 8' withinwhich disk 29. rotates in the same manner as disk 29 within Such an are i As diagrammatically illustrated in Figure 9,

7 contact ring 8. This latter provision should be made so as to insure that the electrical step on contact ring 8 will be properly carried out. The electric current which' is supplied through conductor 7 to slip ring 11' will then flow from each contact 27 through a conductor 25 to the respective contact 27 on the contact ring 8 of each of the follow-up machines 67, 68, 69, etc. Thus, the same result will be attained as that described with respect to Figures 1 and 2. In this modified arrangement, contact ring 8 together with collector assume the function of tape switch 5. The opening and closing of the contact formed between collector 10' and contacts 27 on contact ring 8' result in the on-ofi control operation of the electronic control unit switch 14 as previously described, so that the follow-up machines will be controlled so that the slides thereof will travel the same or a proportional distance in either the same or the opposite direction as the slides of the master machine.

Although my invention has been illustrated and described with reference to the preferred embodiments thereof, I wish to have it understood that it is 'in no way limited to the details of such embodiments, but is capable of numerous modifications within the scope of the appended claims.

Having thus fully disclosed my invention, what I claim is:

1. A control apparatus for a machine tool having a tape controlled tool slide comprising a tape operated switch, a reversible drive unit for the tool slide, a control unit switch electrically connected to said reversible drive unit for normal movement of said drive in a'first direction, and a segment switch electrically interconnected between said tape operated switch and said control unit switch and mechanically driven by said reversible drive unit for reversing said control unit switch and the direction of movement of said reversible drive upon closing of said segment switch. A

-'2. A control apparatus as in claim 1, said tape operated switch having a plurality of contact points and said segment switch having an equal number of contacts in the same order as the tape operated switch contacts mounted on a contact ring.

3. A control apparatus as-in claim 2, said reversible drive comprising a threaded drive unit shaft joined to the tool slide with said segment contact ring mounted thereon, a follow up mechanism actuating stop member threaded on' said shaft, and guide means holding said stop member for non-rotatable longitudinal movement on said shaft.

4. A control apparatus as in claim 3, said reversible drive unit including a solenoid operated electro-magnetic reversing gear connected to said control unit.

' 5. A control apparatus for a machine tool having a tape controlled rotating shaft comprising a tape operated switch, a reversible drive unit for the rotating shaft, a control unit switch connected to said reversible drive for normal movement of said drive unit in a first direction, and a segment switch interconnected between said tape operated switch and said control unit switch and driven by said reversible drive unit for reversing said control unit switch and the direction oflmovement of said reversible drive unit upon closing of said segment switch.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Parsons et a1, Ian. 14, 1958 

